Rick Santorum Says 'Pursuit Of Happiness' Doesn't Apply To Gay Folks

By
Carlos Santoscoy
Published:
August 17, 2011

The former Pennsylvania Senator, who
surprised with a fourth place finish in Saturday's Iowa Straw Poll,
addressed a small crowd on Friday at a campaign stop for the National
Organization for Marriage's (NOM) Value Voters Bus Tour.

NOM paired up with the Family Research
Council (FRC) and the Susan B. Anthony List in organizing the four
day tour in opposition to the legalization of gay marriage.

“Every speech I give, I talk about
the Declaration of Independence,” Santorum said. “Where rights
come from God. That's where they come from in this country. It's
different than any other country in the history of the world. We
said our rights come to each and every one of us from God. That is
the source of our power to govern. Yes, the consent of the governed,
but where do the people get the power from which to exercise? It's
in keeping and trying to pass laws that is consistent with God's law.
God gives you the rights. He doesn't give them to you and says, 'Do
whatever you want.' He gave them to you and said… Well, look at
later on in the Declaration they refer to nature and nature's God.
That we are to live by the natural law and God's laws.”

“That is what when they talked about
the 'pursuit of happiness.' If you go back and read the definition
in Webster at the time of the Declaration, or certainly thereafter,
what 'happiness' was defined as doing good. Doing good, doing what
is moral. So the pursuit of something ordered and morally good is
what our founders were saying.”

“Which is in other words living your
life consistent – taking those rights and living them consistent
with God's law. That was the goal and the aim of America.”

“Someone has to speak out and remind
Americas who we are. Someone has to get up and we have to say that
America, as I said last night, is a moral enterprise.” (The video
is embedded in the right panel of this page.)

During Thursday's debate, Santorum
received generous applause when he said in reference to his
opposition to gay and lesbian couples marrying: “I respect the 10th
Amendment. But we are a nation that has values. We are a nation
that was built on a moral enterprise. And states don't have a right
to tramp over those because of the 10th Amendment.”